AlterPsyche
by Russianskipper74
Summary: Promises are not always wise to make. They are sacred. You never know if you can keep them or not... Fear is a dreaded emotion. A feeling of great apprehension towards one particular dread. Often strong and controlling... Combine these two abstract concepts and a solution to an adventure is formed. But will this adventure be the last for the Mario Bros? Rated T for Blood/violence.


**AlterPsyche**

Chapter 1: A Simple Promise

 **Hey, everyone! Well, here's the opening chapter of my first Mario fanfic! Hope you like it. First, I'd like to give a special thanks to my Beta reader for her helpfulness and great enthusiasm: Thanks, Zeragii ;)** _*_ Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

* * *

 _I_ _t was a terrible sound. One that causes one to stop in his tracks and freeze; that feels as if a chilling ice was frosting over your very soul. To hear the echoing thump of your own pulsing heart was an extremely unnerving sound to hear, as it beat like a base drum from deep within a black, echoey cavern. It was terrifying; almost as much as the faintly lit foyer he stood in. The cackling of various types of ghosts could be heard as they encircled the desolate room from unseen places above him. The sound of his beating heart intertwined with the sound of his loud, uneasy breathing; but it could not drown out the deafening silence that ensued._

 _[Ka-thump]_

 _He could feel each beat of his heart as his wide, terrified sapphire eyes timidly scanned the eerie room. It was still. Too still._

 _[Ka-thump]_

 _In his gloved hands, he could feel the cold metal of the Pultergust's flashlight as it trembled in time with his shacking hands. It's shivering, yellow beam of light swept the room; licking each dark corner with a certain timidness._

 _[Ka-thump]_

 _When he felt that he'd checked each shadowy spot, he slowly strode forward, humming an unsteady tune to himself in hopes of calming his shot nerves. Suddenly, he felt the air around him turn cold and he froze, eyes wide as he heard the icy sound of King Boo cackling._

 _'Aaaaaahahahaa!'_

 _'Ho!' The plumber jumped terribly, shaking like a leaf; eyes wide and darting around the shadowy room in fear. He flinched and gasped as a large, eerie shadow swept swiftly by his feet as the cackle echoed over his head. The green clad man threw his hands over his head and whimpered. Then there was silence._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _After a long minute, the plumber took a deep, uneasy breath; not having realized he'd been holding it until then. His heart pounded mercilessly in his chest as he tried fruitlessly to calm himself. He remained rigid for a long while, his senses heightened in hopes of hearing nothing but silence. Which is exactly what he heard._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _Timidly, the green plumber took a step forward, then another. His brown boots searched the floorboards before each step, sliding inches over the wood before coming to rest carefully on its worn surface. Every inch of him shook from his anxiety. He took another timid step forward, scared eyes searching the high ceiling rafters._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _Splish._

 _The plumber's eyebrows lifted and he let out a small exclamation of surprise as his boot landed into a small, shallow puddle. Cocking an eyebrow, he redirected the flashlights beam to where his foot was, expressing his curiosity with a thoughtful '"hmmn". But as the light connected with the floor, what he saw was not at all the puddle of water that he had been expecting. Instead, this puddle was thick and crimson. The plumbers eyes widened._

 _Blood._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _He stood rigidly, eyes fixed on the spot. Where did it come from? After a second of silence, he quickly checked himself to rule out the possibility that it might have come from him; but finding no injury, his gaze fell back down onto the puddle on the floor._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _Shaking, he roved the flashlight's beam over and around the spot, passing it by his feet ,and then in front of him. "Hungh?" The green clad plumber moved the beam back in front of him. "Oh!" He straightened when he noticed a stream of blood running to the puddle, most likely leading to the source of the blood. The plumber gulped, letting out a shakey, dread-filled moan. His hands began to tremble again. What could possibly be bleeding? The mansion was occupied with ghosts, and the plumber was sure ghosts didn't bleed. Suddenly, he froze. His sapphire eyes grew wide as a dreadful thought dawned on him. "Hohh, mama mia..."_

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _No. No, he couldn't think that. He had seen his brother. He had seen him through the crack in the wall. He was stuck in a painting. The plumber tried to wave off the horrible feeling that tugged at his insides. His brother was alive. After all, he's a hero. Heroes always make it through their adventures..._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _The green clad plumber collected himself the best he could, and took a timid step forward, raising the Pultergust's flashlight. The beam of light swept out ahead of him as he looked down, following the trail of blood. He was terrified of what he might find, but his eyes stayed open and his legs slowly drew him forward; as if he had no say in what they did. The thick, red blood trickled down in a small stream along the floorboards for another two feet before the plumber abruptly froze in his tracks. The plumber felt his heart pound in his throat as he suddenly found it hard to swallow..._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _A hand... A pale, limp, HUMAN hand-_

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _Was illuminated by the outskirts of the flashlight's beam. The green-clad plumber stared in horror as his hand involuntarily rose-_

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _He tried to resist the motion, but his quivering hand wouldn't stop raising the flashlight's beam..._

 _[ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _Moving the dull, golden beam further out before him..._

 _[Ka-thump-Ka-thump]_

 _He couldn't close his eyes; couldn't look away as the ring of yellow light glinted of the full form of the scource of so much warm, crimson blood..._

 _[ ... ]_

 _The plumber's heart stopped. His sapphire eyes widened and stared in utter horror. He wanted to scream but his body wouldn't respond; the sound getting caught in his throat before it could reach his lips. He couldn't breathe; his heart beat had stopped,whether for real or perhaps he just couldn't feel it anymore, and his feet became lead. Mouth agape and eyes glazed with shock, the flashlight slipped from his fingertips and collided with the floor with a resounding clank. The plumber collapsed to his knees, unable to scream or cry out while his eyes remained transfixed on the lifeless form that lay bonelessly on the hard, wooden floor; saturated in it's own blood..._

[KA-THUMP]

A breathless gasp escaped his lungs as he bolted upright, causing his blankets to slide off of him. His head pounded in sync with the terrified thumping of his heart as it beat loudly in his ears and chest; almost to the point of being painful. Wide, sapphire eyes jolted open and anxiously scanned the room. It took the plumber roughly ten minutes to calm himself down enough to get a hold of himself. He ran a shaky hand through his auburn hair, then pulled back the covers to slide out of bed. His red and white striped socks contacted with the cold wood floor, and he stood up stiffly. His fast, short breaths were loud in the still blackness. He was shaking; a cold sweat dampening his forehead. He stood there, breathing.

Never before had he had a nightmare like that. It had been so real; so vivid. So terrifying. And to see his brother's dead body... The plumber gasped inaudibly. He suddenly whipped his head around to look behind him to where he knew stood another bed. His brother! Where was he?! Was he in bed?! Unable to see through the blackness of the room, the plumber held his breath; listening. After a long scary moment, a soft snore emanated from the corner of the room. The plumber let out a long, shaky sigh of relief; but he didn't dare to move for another seven minutes.

As the terror of his nightmare slowly faded from him, the fatigue of awakening so suddenly soon caught up. He was unbelievably exhausted, but he didn't dare fall asleep again. At least, not that night.

Shuffling tiredly across the room, the green plumber located a candle in a golden holder. Fumbling around the top of the dresser, his fingers discovered several matches not far from the candle.

Striking a match, he lit the wick; hovering his left hand next to it to restrict its illuminating light to his side of the room. Lifting the candle holder up by its ring, the flickering light danced off of the plumber's disheveled form.

The man was moderately average in height, with auburn colored hair and a dark, neatly kept handlebar mustache. His sapphire eyes held an innocent sparkle and he had a gentle, boyish face. A white 'L' emblem was sown on the front side of his green pajama top, and several other small dark green L's speckled his mint green polyester pajama bottoms.

The green-clad plumber slowly closed the distance between him and the window, and set the candle down on the windowsill's thick, stony surface. He felt overheated, most likely the cause for his nightmare, and his heart still beat heavily in his chest. The plumber leaned forward, resting his elbows on the hard windowsill as he gazed out at the night sky.

Up in the velvety blackness of space, countless stars twinkled like spilled glitter; each individual one flashing florescent colors like mica in a sea-like motion across the vast firmament. Luminescent star clusters and clouds of the lenticular galaxy streaked the night sky with vibrant shades of blue and purple. The plumber gazed up at the beautiful sight with shining sapphires eyes; the reflections of galaxies sparkling in his clear blue irises. He blinked, then closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew into his face; blowing away his anxieties. From the overlooking window of the main lofty tower of Castle Peach, the plumber could see the courtyard below, where small trees grew in lush gardens. Below him, the high castle parapets loomed around Toad Town.

The plumber let out a shuddering sigh, the memory of his nightmare replaying itself; still engraved in his mind, haunting him. He should have known enough not to have slept under so many blankets. He had woken up overheated and sweating, not to mention with a terribly dry throat.

Slipping his index finger into the ring of the candle holder, he decided to sneak to the castle kitchen to quench his thirst; and to hopefully calm himself down.

The green clad plumber crept his way toward the wooden chamber door at the opposite end of the room, the fuzzy cotton of his red and white stripped socks muffling any sound of his timid footsteps. Moving as quietly as humanly possible, the plumber stealthily crept past the footboard of his brothers bed, side-glancing at the silent lump beneath it's blankets, praying he wouldn't wake him from his peaceful slumber. At the end of the bed, the plumbers weight shifted onto a creaky floorboard. The eerie grating of strained wood resounded in the silence. The plumber froze, wincing at the sudden sound.

"Luigi?"

The green clad plumber turned his head at the sound of his name; which had been drowsily mumbled from the opposite end of the bed. He lifted the candle higher to faintly see Mario slowly sit up, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. Luigi gave the disheveled plumber an apologetic look, lowering the candle so the dim light wasn't shining in his face.

"S-sorry, Mario. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Mario didn't answer, probably because he didn't want his brother to feel bad about waking him. Instead, Mario looked questioningly up at his brother, a drowsy look of concern on his face. "Luigi," he asked, still sounding partially asleep, "what'a are you doing up?" The question was quiet in tone, sounding more curious than grumpy.

Luigi fidgeted with the loose material of his pajama top, looking uncommonly like a guilty child. He lowered his eyes to the floorboards before answering, meekly. "I-I could'a not sleep..."

Luigi heard, rather than saw, since the glow of the candle could only reach so far, the sound of blankets rustling, then the faint slap of bare feet contacting with the wooden floor. A second later, Mario stepped into the candlelight. Mario was not one to look at situations two-dimensionally. If Luigi couldn't sleep, then there had to be a reason why. Mario's brotherly instincts had sensed this, and he wanted to see if there was any way he could assist his brother.

Luigi, apart from regretting the fact that he had just awoken Mario, was relieved to finally see his brother in the light. The sight soothed his left over, uneasy nerves that had stuck with him even after his nightmare.

Mario looked up at his younger brother with concern. "You're not'a sick, are you?" Mario lifted a hand to feel his brother's forehead, but Luigi swatted it away. Mario looked at him quizzically.

"No..." Luigi mumbled. Mario gave his brother a sad, knowing smile. "It was another night'a'mare, wasn't it, Weegie?"

After a long, silent moment, Luigi nodded faintly, staring down at the darkened floor.

"Anything you want'a to talk about, Bro?" Mario asked, gently.

Luigi's eyes lifted back up to his brother's kindly face. He was silent for a moment, his hand straying to fidget with his loose pajama cloth once again.

"Mario...?" Luigi began, trailing off as if unsure of how to continue.

"Yes, Luigi?" Mario prompted, when a short silence ensued.

"W-why do you have to go on adventures...?"

The softly spoken sentence caught the red clad plumber by surprise. "What'a do you mean, Luigi?"

"I-I mean, why do you have to constantly put yourself and'a me into life and death situations? What'a if one of us never came back?!" The last sentence came out more as a scared squeak than a question. Luigi's eyes rested on the floor. He hadn't meant to break down like that. Now Mario knew the underlying fear he'd had building in within him for the past two months. Two months since Mario's rescue from Gloomy Manor. Luigi had thought he'd never see his brother again. He'd felt so alone in that eerie mansion. So helpless without Mario there to keep him safe. The taller brother tensed slightly as he continued, avoiding eye contact with his brother.

"Don't you ever think what'a my life would be like if you weren't there for me? What'a if you are killed?!" Luigi had now gone from a timid tone to one of fear and dread.

Mario was shocked. "Luigi, I..." The red clad plumber was lost for words. Had this sudden outburst of fear and apprehension been a result of his nightmare? He had never thought of what it might have done to Luigi if he'd never returned from that dreadful mansion.

Luigi was shaking as he continued. "At Gloomy Manor, I felt I'd never see you again. I saw what it would'a feel like to live on without my big bro beside me." Luigi swallowed hard. "I was so terrified. So alone..." He trailed off, a tear sliding down his cheek.

Mario stood, mouth agape. "Luigi, I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." Mario mentally kicked himself. He should have known. Luigi must have been terrified. He should have known Luigi would have been badly affected by what he had been though. Of course Luigi would be scared of anything that could possibly separate them; especially forever. He should have realized.

"In-In my night'a'mare, I was alone in the mansion," Luigi choked on."K-King Boo was'a there. H-He was l-laughing. I didn't kn-know why..." Tears were now dropping freely to the wood floorboards beneath the green clad plumbers socked feet. "I-I found'a blood. Lots of blood. And wh-when I looked, I s-saw you on the f-floor..."

Mario felt his heart break as Luigi broke out into a barrage of harsh sobs. Luigi sank to the floor, letting the candle holder clank heavily down onto the wooden floorboards, causing it to nearly flicker out. Luigi slouched, cupping his head in his hands, sobbing.

Mario knelt down beside him, embracing his quivering form in his arms. Luigi cried into his shoulder, his hot tears soaking through the fabric. After a moment of harsh sobs, Luigi continued to talk between chokes. "Y-y-you were'a dead... I-It'a was a horrible... Y-You...covered i-in blood...T-the way you m-must have gone... I-I could'a not imagine..." That was the last he could get out before he couldn't talk anymore. He coughed, sobbing and shaking into his brother's protective embrace.

Mario rocked him gently, rubbing his back, trying to sooth him. Mario felt terrible. It was true. He hadn't been there to keep Luigi safe. He couldn't have been. And that was what made him feel even worse. Luigi had been experiencing the hardest, most traumatic time in his life, and Mario hadn't been able to be there to protect him.

"Luigi, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..." Mario repeated, holding back tears of his own. "I would have done anything to have been there with you, Bro. To keep you safe. To protect you. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to be there for you..." A tear slid down the red clad plumber's cheek. For a long while, the only sounds in the faintly lit room were that of harsh sobs and gently whispered words of comfort. But that moment of comfort was well needed, and soon the green clad plumber's sobs reduced to sniffles and soft coughs.

"It's okay, Weegie. It's alright," Mario whispered, rubbing his brother's back. Luigi continued to shake a while longer until finally Mario felt him relax in his arms. Mario patted Luigi's back, comfortingly. "Come on'a, Weegie. You must'a be exhausted." Mario gently straightened Luigi up. He could see his brother's tear-stained cheeks and moist eyes as he moved away from his brother's shoulder. Luigi sniffed, drying his eyes on his sleeve.

"M-Mario...?"

Mario lifted his eyes to meet Luigi's when he heard his name spoken softly. "Yes, Luigi?"

"W-what if something like'a that was to really happen? What'a if you aren't there to help'a me someday?"

Mario gave his brother a sad, gentle smile. "Luigi... I wont'a let anything happen to you. Rest assured of that."

Luigi sniffed, a glimmer of hope flashing across his face in the form of a faint smile. He sniffed. "P-promise?"

Mario smiled back.

"I promise."


End file.
